The Haunting of Federal Hill Cemtery in Kentucky

Bardstown, Kentucky, has an unusual story that people love to tell. This story is a ghost story, but it runs a little deeper than your average ghost story. This is the story of the moving gravestone in the Federal Hill Cemetery, and it has been around for at least 150 years.

John Rowan was a famous man in his hometown, having served seven terms in elected offices, along with being a state judge and working as a State Senator. Later in life he would also serve as a chief justice on the Kentucky Court of Appeals and also serving as the Secretary of State for Kentucky. He was also the cousin of Stephen Foster, who penned a number of his songs during the 19^th century.

Though he was fairly popular in the state, he experienced more than his fair share of rough times. As a child he was frequently sick, and doctors told his family that he may not live past an early age. This prompted the family to move to a country estate in Kentucky. He began changing his life, and studied law as a student. He even married a young woman named Ann Lytle. Lytle's father passed along land to the young couple upon which they built Federal Hill.

One night while playing a game of cards at the house, Rowan began arguing with a man by the name of James Chambers. The two were casual friends, and the argument was a silly one that quickly grew more heated. After Rowan insulted the man's wife, he demanded a duel. The duel led outside, and only Rowan survived.

This could have disturbed a smaller man, but Rowan persevered. However even he could not persevere the cholera epidemic that swept Kentucky in 1833. All told the man lost 26 slaves and four members of his immediate family, including his son John who was Andrew Jackson's Secretary of State. John stopped by the house to visit his family, contracted cholera, and passed away in the house.

Rowan himself passed away in 1843, and told family and close friends that he didn't want a monument or marker on his grave. The man believed in pride, and felt that his meager grave didn't deserve such a high honor. He further claimed that the elaborate house he had built on Federal Hill was a monument in and of itself.

Rowan was eventually buried in the Bardstown Cemetery, though his remains were later moved to Federal Hill Cemetery. Upon his grave family members erected a large obelisk type monument, with the belief that his life fitted such a memorial. That was when things began happening.

The moment the monument was complete, it fell over without warning. Despite spending a good amount of time trying to decide why the stone fell, no one could find a good reason. The best excuse they could find was that roots from a nearby tree had caused too much pressure on the base of the monument.

Not long after, the stone tipped over again. Each time it was replaced, it would stand in place for a few weeks or months, but would eventually topple over again. Eventually local stone workers began refusing to return to the cemetery. Locals began saying that this was Rowan expressing his displeasure at the monument. Some even claimed that he had threatened his family prior to his death at what would happen if his wishes were not followed.

Though it has been 150 years since the monument was first placed in the cemetery, it still continues to regularly follow over today. I visited the cemetery once when I was living in Louisville, Kentucky and I have to say that I didn't experience anything unusual. The monument is not as grand as some that I have seen in the past, but it is easy to find. It was standing when I was there, but maybe the next time I visit, it will have toppled over again.

Kentucky's Most Haunted: The Vengeful Ghost of Carl Pruitt

Stories of a vengeful and killer ghost spread across the state of Kentucky in 1938. People claimed that the ghost was causing death and destruction wherever it went, though it seemed to be centered on a small area of the state.

The story started with Carl Pruitt, who seemed to be an ordinary man. Ordinary that is until he discovered his wife cheating on him, and not only that, but cheating with him in his own bed. In a fit of anger, he grabbed a steel chain and strangled his wife with it, while the other man ran for his life. Seeing what he had done, Pruitt killed himself. Considering what he had done, the wife's family insisted that the two be separated, and Pruitt was placed across town in a different cemetery.

Pruitt's headstone almost instantly changed in appearance, and people swore that they could see a chain wrapped around the stone. It almost looked as if the chain was etched into the stone, and it continued to grow longer and take up more space on the headstone. Once the chain stopped growing, some suggested that the stone be removed, but it never was.

The first death came just a few weeks after the chain stopped. Several boys rode through the cemetery, and one tossed rocks at the headstone to prove his bravery. On the way home that day the boy's bicycle veered out of control and he somehow ended up being strangled by the chain on his bike. Though his friends swore that the boy broke the stone with one of his throws, no evidence of the damage could be found.

A few weeks later the boy's mother went to the cemetery with vengeance in mind. She attacked the tombstone with an axe from her farm, destroying it into a pile of rubble. The next day the lady was hanging clothes outside her house when the clothesline came loose. Somehow, and no one is quite sure how, the woman ended up being strangled by the clothesline. Some claim that once again the tombstone appeared perfectly normal.

Though stories of the deaths continued to spread, not everyone was afraid of Pruitt. A family driving past the cemetery witnessed the horrifying death of their father. The man shot at the headstone, declaring that he thought the whole story was fake. Right after that, his wagon veered out of control and the man was strangled to death by a chain on the wagon. Not only did the tombstone look perfect, but authorities were baffled to how the chain came loose to kill the man.

Following the last death, people began to talk. The talk spread to the point where authorities were sent to the area to examine the tombstone. One of the men laughed at the tombstone, and it would be one of the last things he ever did. While leaving the cemetery, his car crashed. A chain in the area broke through the windshield, wrapped around his neck, and strangled him.

That incident caused people to keep their distance, but once again there was a man who scoffed at the stories. He attacked the tombstone with a hammer, and people could hear the cracking as the tombstone broke in pieces. There was a short silence before people heard the man screaming.

When people ran to the cemetery, they found that a heavy chain from the cemetery gate had strangled the man. It looked as though the man had run right through the gate, caught his neck on the chain, and hung there until people arrived. Once again there was no sign of any damage to Pruitt's tombstone.

This was the turning point of the cemetery. Families began moving their buried to other cemeteries, and new burials rarely occurred there. The cemetery itself was destroyed in the 1950's, leaving only the story behind.

Even today people still talk about the mysterious deaths surrounding this one little tombstone. No explanation has ever been given, but people still love to tell the story of what once happened there.

Chicago's Most Haunted: Inez Clarke and the Ghost Story of Graceland Cemetery

Graceland Cemetery in Chicago, Illinois, is home to one of the most faked hauntings of all time, and it seemed as though everyone was taken in by the story. From ghost hunters to locals, everyone wanted to believe.

The story of the Graceland Cemetery starts in 1860. The cemetery itself was founded outside the city, and had only a handful of burials every year. As the city of Chicago slowly grew in size, it began to move north. Eventually Graceland was incorporated into the city, and the City Cemetery was closed, the bodies moved into Graceland. At some point in the history of the Cemetery, the story of Inez Clarke swept across Chicago.

According to local legend Inez Clarke was the name of a ghost that haunted this Chicago landmark. The little girl was struck by lighting in 1880, and passed away at the age of six. Adding to the ghost story was that this tragedy occurred directly in front of her parents. The trio were enjoying a picnic in the park when a sudden storm broke out. Inez Clarke's parents were so heartbroken that they had a life sized statue of the little girl created, sealed in a glass box, and placed on her grave. Visitors to the Graceland Cemetery frequently left gifts for the little girl on her grave, or brought flowers for her. Then there were the ghost stories, and there were a lot regarding little Inez Clark.

Another version of the Inez Clarke story states that her parents locked her out of the house as punishment for some long forgotten deed. The storm set in, and little Inez was once again struck by lightning. Her parents decided not to tell their friends and loved ones of their unspeakable deed, and instead told others that the little girl died of tuberculosis.

The first ghost story stated that the statue would sometimes disappear from the glass box, and always during storms. Others claimed to hear odd noises in the vicinity, the sound of a little girl playing or someone moaning. At certain times visitors claimed to hear the sounds of a small girl crying near the statue. Others claimed to have seen Inez Clarke playing in the cemetery, or their children seeing her. The ghost stories of Inez Clarke led many to believe that Chicago's Graceland Cemetery was one of the most haunted places in America. The problem of course is that there is no Inez Clarke.

The location where the statue of the little girl is, is actually the final resting place of a young boy named Amos Briggs. A local historian thinks the statue may have been created by a local monument maker who used it as a form of advertising.

Of course the story of Inez Clarke is not the only ghost story surrounding Chicago's Graceland Cemetery. The other is the ghost story of Dexter Graves. Following the death of this wealthy businessman, a local artist was commissioned to create a monument in his honor. This monument is called "Eternal Silence", but ghost hunters often refer to it as the "Statue of Death". This large figure was once entirely black, but exposure to the elements led to the color slowly chipping off to reveal the green brass underneath. The only place on the figure that still remains black is the figure's face. Legend claims that the figure cannot be photographed, and those that try face certain death. Others say that if an individual looks directly into the figure's face, they will see their own death.

Graceland Cemetery in Chicago is an interesting place to visit, even if some of its stories have been debunked.